It was a challenging year for snooker, but the powers-that-be ensured that there was enough snooker taking place for fans to enjoy and for players to compete in. Following the Gibraltar Open, tournaments were played without spectators which brought a changing dynamic to the sport for both players and television viewers. Nevertheless, I thought I’d select the five standout highlights from this calendar year, as we step into another chapter filled with who knows how many more surprises.
5) Judd Trump Wins Ranking Title No. 6
Following his World Championship victory, questions were asked about whether Trump would be able to continue his run of form and prove his championship status. Trump went above and beyond to display his dominance and consistency throughout the 2019/20 season as he won six ranking events during the single season, capping them all of with a win at Gibraltar, which happened to be the first tournament without spectators. Despite no spectators being present, nothing should be taken away from this phenomenal accomplishment.
4) Judd Trump’s Counter Clearance
Having been on the receiving end of a five-frame loss against Stephen Maguire in the Players Championship, Trump was able to force a decider in this semi-final contest and make his greatest counter clearance yet. At 49 points down with one awkward red glued to the left cushion, Trump’s opening pot and positional shot to canon that last red were truly remarkable. There were many impressive clearances during 2020 but this one takes the cake.
5) UK Championship Final
It was a final that many stayed up late to see the thrilling conclusion – over a million according to this tweet. A final frame that spanned over an hour long as Robertson and Trump were vying to be the first one to cross the finish line. A truly epic final few frames, including one of the best pressure brown balls you will ever see from Robertson to force a decider. All resulting in a final whose ending you wouldn’t have seen coming. Check out the Shorts Thoughts of the UK final here if you missed it.
2) Ronnie O’Sullivan Wins His Sixth World Championship
I don’t know how many were expecting this to happen again, and perhaps it was largely in part down to the lack of audience during the occasion. O’Sullivan managed to navigate his way through a pretty tough field of Un-Nooh, Ding, Williams, Selby and Wilson to record his sixth WSC win. This victory allowed him to surpass Hendry’s record of 36 ranking titles and further cement his already spectacular legacy. O’Sullivan was forced to dig deep in a few of these matches where things weren’t seemingly going his way however, in dramatic fashion, O’Sullivan was able to keep himself in the championship to make the full distance – something he hadn’t done since 2014.
1) World Snooker Championship Semi-Finals
Truly one of the best and most unforgettable days in snooker history. Even months after event, my opinion of this incredible last semi-final day hasn’t changed. If you were able to watch all of the snooker this day, then you’ll know exactly why. Firstly, Wilson vs. McGill led to a dramatic decider of the highest order that resulted in a frame score of 103-83, given the number of points accumulated through fouls.
If that wasn’t enough, we were treated to another semi-final decider involving O’Sullivan and Selby in which we were able to witness a little bit of the genius many hope to see when watching O’Sullivan play. From 16-14 down, O’Sullivan turned things around in a way no one was expecting, but only he could produce. The final frame involved an incredible battle with some telling snooker, which really closed off an extraordinary day in snooker. Check out my post relating to this day here.
And there’s my Top 5 Snooker Highlights of 2020! What were some of your favourite moments of the year, and what are you looking forward to in 2021?
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